“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:22)

To condone something is to approve of it, or be in agreement with it, whether it is right or wrong. Simply put, your approval means something!

Amos 3:3 asks the question:

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

The correct answer to this question is, No. And it does not matter if they are walking together in righteousness or in unrighteousness.

We are reminded in Matthew 6:24:

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

There are some around us that are doing what the flesh sees as “a good thing.” And we, as gullible as we are, will jump on the bandwagon as quickly as we can; most of the time we have the “everybody is doing it” outlook. In other words, all it takes is the approval of someone with influence to agree that it’s OK, and others will take part in it. Even without knowing the end result, or outcome, we will still take part in it, because it seems to be a good thing at that time.

As a man of authority and a man of influence, Paul was telling Timothy: You have the same gift within yourself, but not because it was me who transferred it to you by putting my hands on you:

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

But it was because Paul had been around Timothy long enough and had seen this gift manifest itself not only in Timothy, but also in his grandmother and in his mother (2 Timothy 1:5). That is why Paul had no problem with approving young Timothy as “the man for the job.” And because Paul could recognize that Timothy was genuine, he had no problem with the “putting on of,” or laying, his hands on him.

In our day and time, there are people who are people of influence that are doing “good things.” But many are doing them with the wrong motives. Most are doing them for fleshly pleasure, or for selfish gain or glory; instead of for the edification of the Church and to the Glory of God.

Therefore I say, “I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.” In other words, they will not get my approval and I do not agree with it. “I will keep myself pure!” And I will “neither be partaker of other men’s sins.”

Furthermore, doing the right thing the wrong way still is not right at all. If we are to “egg someone on,” it should be to do the right thing the right way.